“Though everybody says that I am living a successful life as an announcer, I do not agree. I have a lot of things I want to do still, and also I still have a lot of passion in my heart,” said Bae Seong-jae, an announcer for Seoul Broadcast System (SBS). Bae is one of the most popular sportscasters among sports fans.

Bae graduated from the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at Hanyang University. Regarding his major, Bae said, “I was actually not interested in my major when I was young. Therefore, my scores were so terrible that I was even held back. Since I had no interest in the jobs related to my major, I decided to look elsewhere. I also tried various activities, such as going to a speech academy and fortunately, I found my talent there.” Bae emphasized that there are many paths that we can take in life, and that the world is full of opportunities. The challenges he constantly meets and the efforts he invests are what shaped him into the person he is today.

Since the 2010 South Africa World Cup, Bae has been active as a sportscaster for Korea. He is famous not only for his detailed explanation about games, but also for his wit and humor. A compilation of “Bae Sung-jae analects” on the Internet was made by fans who watched the sports games with his commentary. “I just try to enjoy the game while I commentate and I actually still find it hard to relay what I am watching to my listeners. So when broadcasting a soccer game for example, I have to try my best to focus on the movement of the ball. Having said that, it’s impossible not to make some mistakes while commentating on games. In fact, the most terrible mistake I made was something I did while broadcasting the first game of 2010 South Africa World Cup. My private conversation with Commentator Cha Beom-kun had gone on air without my awareness. Even now thinking about it still makes me feel nervous,” he said.

Even though Bae is loved by many people as an announcer as well as a sportscaster, he says that there are still many other things he would like try. He said he has been particularly interested in movies. “When I was a high school student, I admired the Korea National University of Arts for its movies. I think a movie is a channel of communication with others. Reaching others is also the reason why I have good memories about my radio program, ‘Happy Morning with Bae Sung-jae.’ I like to sympathize with others, and if I have the chance, I would like to be a radio program DJ again.” Even though he did not go to Korea National University of Arts and is living his life as an announcer, he still has a lot of passion for movies and would like to work as a writer, producer, or even a manager of a theater. His eyes sparkled with excitement and confidence as he concluded, “I am not afraid of failure. From my experiences, I have learned that there are always ways of achieving success if I have the passion to pursue it.”